


Safe And Sound

by SherlockWolf



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:22:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25888048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockWolf/pseuds/SherlockWolf
Summary: Roxas missed Axel too much while he was at Castle Oblivion to be separated right now, Xemnas' temper be damned.~Simple cuddles to make Roxas feel better.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	Safe And Sound

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for an exchange, now posted for AkuRoku Day!

The night of Axel’s return from Castle Oblivion, Roxas found himself restless. Though it was the allotted rest hours the others called “night”, and he needed to rest for whatever missions he would be given tomorrow, he couldn’t bring himself to hold still on his bed. He rolled on one side then the other, as though a rock had been slipped under his mattress.

Axel was the very reason for his distress. Though his return from Castle Oblivion had eased Roxas’ mind about whether or not he was going to see Axel again, Axel’s comment about getting in trouble with Xemnas for being away so long wasn’t sitting right with Roxas. Upon reaching the castle they’d gone their separate ways, and Roxas had yet to hear from Axel. Had Xemnas turned him into a dusk? The mere idea made Roxas’ chest hurt—if he couldn’t feel, then why would a thought cause him physical pain?

An hour passed with Roxas nowhere near sleep. Pent up energy refused to let him rest. And so, he decided he needed to go find Axel himself. Holding the ends of his coat close so they wouldn’t rustle, Roxas slipped into the dull residential hallway, walking along with socked feet. He became a shadow against the stark white walls.

At Axel’s door, he paused. Axel could be asleep already, would he be upset by Roxas knocking on his door? Well, even a sleepy, annoyed Axel would be better than a dead one. Roxas knocked.

He was met with silence for a long moment, then the stomp of footsteps preceded the opening of the door. He looked up find Axel rubbing sleep from his eyes. Lacking his coat, he was only dressed in his tank top and pants, the expression he wore confused rather than agitated. The hurt in Roxas’ chest eased—Axel was okay.

“Uh, hello.” Axel murmured in greeting, squinting his eyes to focus on Roxas.

“Hi.”

They stared at each other for a moment, then a tiny smile tugged at the corners of Axel’s lips.

“Did you need something?”

“Oh, right. I was…I didn’t see you after you went to talk to Xemnas so…I...couldn’t sleep.” Roxas wasn’t sure what to say, since earlier that same day Axel had told him he couldn’t truly worry.

Roxas didn’t want to have his feelings dismissed again, especially since he was starting to think Axel, and everyone else, had it wrong. If he couldn’t worry, why did being around Axel offset the restlessness he experienced when Axel was away?

“Worried again, huh?” Axel teased, mind on a similar wavelength.

Roxas huffed, “Yeah. I…thought he might have turned you into a dusk.”

Axel gestured down the length of his body with both hands, “Nope, all here.”

Roxas gave a sincere nod, “Good.”

Another moment passed, in which Roxas pondered going back to his room and Axel’s expression slipped back toward tired rather than amused.

“If it would help you sleep, you can stay here tonight.” Axel said, stepping back a little in invitation.

Hardly any deliberation was needed—Roxas could wake up any time during the night and check on Axel without having to sneak down the hall and wake him up to ensure he was still real. The choice was obvious.

“Okay.”

Roxas stepped inside, tossing his coat on top of Axel’s where it rested over the back of his desk chair. Kingdom Hearts shone yellow outside Axel’s window, providing the only light in the room. Axel returned to his bed, taking the side next to the window with his back to the moon. Roxas slipped in beside him, lying flat and taking up most of the remaining space. The hairs of Axel’s folded arms tickled Roxas’ skin. A physical reminder he was there. Roxas closed his eyes and let Axel’s even breathing lull him into semi-consciousness.

It wasn’t long, however, before Roxas woke again, plagued by nightmares of Axel never coming home, of a dusk with red tint and upside-down tears streaking its face, of untasted ice creams melting on the empty clock tower. A simple turn of his head confirmed Axel was still there, sleeping beside him. His face was slack with relaxation, an expression Roxas had only seen him wear on the clock tower while soaking in the sun. Though he couldn’t see them in the dark, Roxas was fond of the freckles that dotted Axel’s face, always accented by the sun. He imagined he could see them.

Axel didn’t deserve to live in the dark. He deserved to live in the light, where he could be happy and relaxed and away from beings that threatened to snuff out his brilliant existence.

What would Axel say, if Roxas told him that he wanted to run away with him? Go somewhere the Organization couldn’t follow. Xion could come, though she and Axel needed to meet first to make sure they could be friends, too. The three of them could rediscover happiness together.

Roxas fell asleep again, for a little while. At first his dreams were of the ocean, of Axel and Xion laughing and playing in the water. But then, the water became menacing, scary, threatening to drown them all. The blue sky became angry purple, wind whipping at his ears and consuming all joyous sounds. Water poured into Roxas’ lungs, and he woke up with a jolt. The violence of his waking roused Axel, who sat up beside him and blinked owlishly.

“Forgot why you were here, for a second.” Axel mumbled, hovering above Roxas and squinting at him like he was trying to figure out why they were awake.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Wanna talk about what’s bugging you?”

“Nightmares.”

Axel snorted, a soft puff that spoke of experience, “Say no more.”

He laid back down, this time on his back. After a moment, Axel said,

“If it would help, we can cuddle.”

“What’s that?” Roxas had no idea what that word meant.

“Ha, I forget you don’t know things. Here, I’ll show you.” Amusement trickled into Axel’s voice.

Axel rolled on his side, then directed Roxas to turn and face him. When he had, Axel wriggled until he was pressed against Roxas shoulder to knee, chin just above Roxas’ head on the pillows, one arm draped over Roxas’ waist while the other tucked under the pillows. Roxas had to fold his arms between them, creating a bit of distance to breathe. Still, all he breathed was Axel’s scent, a mix of smoke and spice.

“This okay?” Axel asked once they’d settled.

Roxas nodded a little, “Yeah.”

They relaxed against one another, Roxas reveling in how _warm_ he was, inside and out. Axel’s skin and Axel’s care were an injection of comfort to Roxas’ veins. If the nightmares didn’t go away from this, they’d never go away. As Roxas slipped into restful unconsciousness, he decided he really, _really_ liked this ‘cuddle’ thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As always let me know if there's any grammar/spelling weirdness.
> 
> <3 sherlockwolf


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